The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important - and then get out of their way while they do it.

Cash is king. Get every drop of cash you can get and hold onto it.

Celebrating creates an atmosphere of recognition and positive energy. Imagine a team winning the World Series without champagne spraying everywhere. And yet companies win all the time and let it go without so much as a high five. Work is too much a part of life not to recognize moments of achievement. Make a big deal out of them. If you don't, no one will.

Make winners out of every business in your company. Don't carry losers.

What's important at the grocery store is just as important in engines or medical systems. If the customer isn't satisfied, if the stuff is getting stale, if the shelf isn't right, or if the offerings aren't right, it's the same thing. You manage it like a small organization. You don't get hung up on zeros.

A company has only so much money and managerial time. Winning leaders invest where the payback is the highest. They cut their losses everywhere else.

Business is a game, and as with all games, the team that puts the best people on the field and gets them playing together wins. It's that simple.